Walking on Thin Ice
by Kiwisilence
Summary: After coming to Belle Reve, Conner develops feelings for Icicle Jr. and questions whether he should stop the criminal from escaping. Superboy/Icicle Jr. slash. KryptonIce.
1. Introduction

Okay – sorry if the accent doesn't make sense. Do the Twins use a southern accent or a Cockney accent? (I'm leaning towards southern). I'm from the Midwestern United States, so I do not understand either.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.

Warnings: kissing (Conner/Icicle Jr.), innuendo

* * *

Chapter 1: You Gave Me My Life

* * *

Despite Icicle's male bravado, Superboy noticed the criminal's similarity to the androgynous statues of Akhenaten from Armana. Although the ice-meta had large, somewhat untamed eyebrows, their imposing blackness rivaled the traditional make-up of the pharaohs. The criminal's light blue skin was nothing like a rich and earthy orange-tinged brown, but Icicle carried himself as if his father was not the mere Icicle Sr., but the falcon-god Horus. Other criminals were beneath his caliber.

In comparison to his cellmate, Conner felt crudely crafted from the broken DNA of Superman. Junior was as perfect as the crystalline ice of his body, but Conner…the clone was a poor imitation of the man of steel. While Icicle had surpassed his father by being more naturally powerful with cryokinesis, Superboy had yet to develop the majority of Superman's powers.

Like Akhenaten, who had broken away from his father and his people's established traditions, Icicle held the air of something greater than the criminal life of his father. Unlike Superboy, Icicle Jr. was meant for great things even if he was currently locked away and still craved his father's approval. The ice-meta wouldn't be that way in a few years - even now, his cunning rang through his alternating psychotic and typical teenaged boy facade.

"Your sister's kind of hot."

The words drew Superboy back to reality, almost ruining his evaluation of his cellmate. Despite his crassness, Superboy still believed that something greater thrived within Icicle Jr.

"Sure she is..."

"I mean…you wouldn't realize it since you're her brother, but what does it take to get with her?"

Conner paused, watching the glimmer of excitement in Junior's unnaturally icy blue eyes. For a few more seconds than what could be deemed normal, the clone stared at his cellmate, wondering about the ice-meta and M'gann.

What made her so special?

"She's just gets me. It's just something about blondes…or her attitude. I want a girl to get the psycho in me, you know?"

Junior stretched his arms behind his back, breaking eye contact with the clone. Conner studied his cellmate's chest protrude forward as he stretched, causing him to return to his earlier thoughts on the curves of the criminal…Icicle Junior was a self-described psychotic criminal mastermind and should not be drawing such attention from Conner. Superboy wished that M'gann was with them and could lead the conversation, thus diverting his attention away from his cellmate.

"If ya' like that…" Conner's voice lowered, somewhat unconfidently.

"There has to be a girl here that you're into. How about Killer Frost?" Junior rested his arms on the table, moving closer to look at Conner. "Maybe not…she gives blue balls a whole new meaning…" He began snickering at his own joke, despite annoyed grunts from some of the nearby inmates.

"Ah would not know. Nuff said, yeah?" Conner's voice lapsed out of the inflection of the accent of the Terror Twins despite using its words, but Junior didn't seem to notice or care enough to remark.

"What do you mean 'I wouldn't know'? I'd do her."

"She's okay, innit."

"She's more than okay," Icicle Jr.'s eyes widened, flickering towards Superboy's somewhat inquisitively. His grin slipped into an agape expression, causing his bottom lip to pout. Conner really needed to stop watching his cellmate…

"Lor' luv a duck! Is that yaaahr pa over there?" Conner evasively shot as his eyes flashed uncomfortably away from Icicle. The ice-meta forgot what he wanted to say, also turning his head to look over at his father.

Not that much longer…soon Conner could leave Belle Reve and not have to deal with the awkward, overtly obsessive feelings he felt when around Icicle Jr.

* * *

"What is up wiv ya' an' yaaahr pa?" Conner's voice resonated through the cell, causing Junior almost jump out of his bed.

"He only speaks to me when he wants to use me. I'm better without him."

Conner didn't feel like probing further past the basic, almost cliché line sputtered out by his cellmate. Icicle Junior probably wouldn't even want to speak more on the subject. The statement had enough worth to feed the lingering hopes Superboy had for Icicle Jr. to become more than his father.

"Bad fer ya', right?"

"I'm my own person. You know what I mean? Of course, I still help him when he asks. Steal this, attack that. But I still operate solo."

"Ya' are tuff wivaaaht 'im."

"I really want to bludgeon you to death with a dictionary."

"But ya' love me an' all much ter do that," Conner chimed playfully.

"What?" Icicle choked out.

"Who else would even wan' ter share dis cell wiv you? We're close."

"Um…," the usual cool of Icicle's voice drained away, "I have to go to bed now…get up early tomorrow…for stuff. Yes, important cold stuff."

The knots of Superboy's stomach twisted and his nerves felt like erupting. Instead of his former obsession with Superman or even a brief attraction to M'gann, Conner felt an even stronger pull towards Icicle Junior. His cellmate was as cold as ice, but inspired embarrassingly warm reactions from the clone.

Someone so cold, possibly insane and with a criminal record had captured Conner's attention. If Superman had tried to assume a father-like role with his clone, this would have been the time that the man of steel would have forbidden him to see Icicle Jr – just like in any of the television shows Megan liked watching. In the confines of their cell, no one was there to stop Conner from experimenting with his newfound captivation with the ice-meta…

All that stood in the way was Junior's lingering hesitance, which could be melted as easily as the ice-armor of his body…

* * *

As Conner kept bonding with Icicle Jr., guilt – which had been explained to him as a weak human emotion by the G-Gnomes – began to consume him. The clone had all too easily used the ice-meta's desire for his father's approval to reactivate the collars. Superboy knew that the criminals at Belle Reve couldn't be allowed to escape, but a slight dream clung to his thoughts of turning a blind eye to Icicle… The ice-meta couldn't be allowed to remain among the inferior breed of the prison.

Icicle Jr. was the winning juxtaposition of regal features mixed with his icy blue skin and personality – far more beautiful, strong, and…masculine yet somewhat feminine than the common thug around him. M'gann would object to helping criminals even if it was Junior. But maybe something would happen to temporarily stop her from realizing Icicle's escape.

* * *

"Dude, it's your sister!" Icicle screamed both out of disgust and jealously growing from the possessiveness he felt for

"No," Conner pushed M'gann away from the kiss she had forced on him. "She's not…"

"You're sick. Even for a criminal. I'm feeling like a good, wholesome person in comparison."

"Conner," Megan whispered, trying to pull Conner back into another kiss.

"No, Junior…wait, what is your real name?"

"Cameron," he spat somewhat awkwardly.

"Cameron, I don't like my sister…who is actually Miss Martian."

"My father's going to kill me," Conner lamented, his thoughts becoming consumed by his father's reaction and not of the kiss he had just witnessed.

"Not if you escape."

Both Megan and Cameron yelled, "What?"

"M'gann, I do not have 'feelings' for you."

The Martian's eyes stared at the clone without blinking, on the verge of tears. Conner knew that he should feel pity or at least some sense of guilt for how he had acted towards M'gann, but a stronger part of him just couldn't care. She could read minds to such a point that nothing like this should have been surprising.

"I'm sorry if you thought that, but I've learned something that not even you or Black Canary could teach me."

The clone walked over to Icicle Jr, who had retracted his icy exterior and returned to his normal human form.

"I want this – you and I."

"What? Of course, I'm irresistible, but…" Cameron's voice broke out somewhat cockily with a raised eyebrow.

"Just shut up," Conner commanded as he wrapped his arms around Cameron's back, pushing the ice-meta towards him. Icicle Jr. eagerly responded, initiating their kiss before Conner slipped his tongue into the cool but not freezing mouth of the ice-meta.

Beings like Cameron couldn't be left to shatter and degrade in prison – Conner felt like there was some justice in freeing Icicle Jr as their kisses became more desperate and heated.

Megan turned away, shaking her head and wondering how she had not noticed Conner's affections towards his cellmate. There was no way Icicle Jr. could escape even if Superboy would never like her. A wild criminal like the ice-meta needed to stay in prison with his father and the rest of his goons.

"I don't know you," Cameron panted as he pulled away, suddenly aware of Superboy's teammate still in the room with them.

"You can learn. Just come with me-us..."

* * *

AN: After watching the latest episode, I've kindaslightlyirrevocably fallen in love with Icicle Jr (even more so than Klarion the Witch Boy). I'm thinking about making this into a longer fic, so any suggestions? Icicle is going to escape, but the how and if he'll ever try becoming a hero are areas I'm still unsure of.

If I was a character in Young Justice, I'd force him to stay in his ice form when I kiss him. Frostbite has never sounded so alluring…lol. Anyway, I'm so glad that I can stop with the accent after this chapter. I used an online translator - so I can have someone else to blame :)

Should Icicle Jr. ever try joining the team or some other person (like Roy?). Or will he live the life of a fugitive?


	2. You're too Mean for a Man

My response to my writing for last chapter: lol. Conner having an Egyptian history epiphany over a typical teenager Cameron was fun to write. As always, this story is un-betaed (my beta became a brony and rode away from Young Justice fanfiction for happier pastures). I do not own Young Justice and never will.

Thank you to my batch of an unlucky thirteen reviewers (I wish I could say the number 13 made me too scared to continue this story, but if I were to honest, it's because I've spent way less time writing…and simply drawing/being lazy!).

* * *

Chapter 2: You're too Mean for a Man

* * *

Instead of waiting for Megan and whatever sidekick showed up to impede his escape, Cameron shot ice crystals at Miss Martian and Superboy.

The Kryptonian clone might have shown Cameron the rarity of untainted affection – perhaps it could have been genuine – but with escape within his reach, Superboy must be sacrificed. It wasn't like the two teens couldn't dodge – Megan had already been on edge and studied the ice-criminal's movements for any sign of an attack. But Superboy…

His eyes held the slightest pang of disappointment…and understanding as he stepped out of the way. While Cameron continued running, he didn't notice Conner place a firm grip on Megan's shoulder and stop her from chasing after the ice-meta.

* * *

"For the son of a supervillain, you sure don't know how to live on the lamb," Red Arrow stood several paces behind Icicle Jr., mocking the ice-meta as he turned to acknowledge the redhead from the corner of the sidewalk.

Star City was cold that morning, but the chilling airs that clung to its citizens' skins and sent them into fits of over-the-top shivering only seemed ridiculous to Cameron; unlike the people around him, he thrived in this temperature.

The cocky, flame-colored hair of Red Arrow broke Cameron's peace of mind with the cold and brought a rush of blood to the ice-meta's face, consuming his mind in the recently dormant anger towards Green Arrow's former sidekick.

"Back to smash my jaw again? Oh no, look! There's no papa Robin Hood to do all of the work…"

"I didn't have to find you."

"But you desperately wanted to, right? Melt my little icy-heart?"

"Conner sent me," the redhead crossed his arms menacingly, but Cameron giggled in response.

"Let me guess. You lied about him. I go with you. Get knocked out then wake up to a bright, happy day back at Belle Reve? I'd freeze you to death before I go back there."

"You don't even know how to survive on your own. The only reason the League hasn't come after you is because you're a 'low priority' criminal. Come with me or I will turn you in."

"What do I have to do? Rob a few banks first? No, I'll show them 'low priority.' I'll start by killing you."

"Stop being impossible. I'm not here to bring you in."

"I don't-"

Before Cameron could finish, Red Arrow lurched himself forward and elbowed harshly into Cameron's head, sending the ice-meta into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Owwwwwwww," Cameron whined within the rope restraining him to moldy-green chair. Cameron's eyes flickered, wondering where Red Arrow had taken him. It looked like the inside of a dingy Star City hotel room. The walls were stained in the yellows and lingering smell of cigarettes. "Couldn't you afford a better room?"

"Quit complaining."

"Quit complaining? I'm tied up to a chair in a possible meth-den with you looming over me. I guess I shouldn't complain, you're too much of a loser hero for me to be scared. An extra. Not even needed…or wanted by Green Arrow."

"If you don't shut up, I'll break the promise I made Superboy and smash your face in again. Let's see you broken into tiny ice crystals and shipped back to your father."

"I could escape now…if I wanted."

"Sure you could," Red Arrow chirped in a baby-like voice to Cameron. "Now stop pretending. Conner sent me to find you."

"Why?" Cameron huffed.

"You're not going back to jail and until you ever get a pardon or the Justice League works out a deal with the government, you'll always be a fugitive."

"The Justice League would never help me," Cameron spat.

"Not if you keep robbing banks."

"Those cops ran into my ice crystals…10 times. They didn't have to hurt themselves. I didn't do anything!"

"There is a way out of crime."

Cameron's eyebrows rose, knotting themselves angrily at the redhead, "How?"

"You'll have to work for me. Go undercover by working for a local Star City villain and help him eliminate his competition. We need evidence against him before any arrest can be made. It will also help cull the recent crime increase."

"What? That isn't a way out of crime! That idea is so far-fetched. Are…you even Red Arrow? Or is the Ultra-Humanite controlling your body? Maybe you're Megan…well in that case, Martian, I'm going to get out of these ropes and finish you off this time."

"Green Arrow supports me on this. Your involvement will only be reveled to the League upon success. By eliminating other villains, that means without killing."

"This is just getting boring now. No killing? What am I supposed to do? What about my bloodlust? Play some video games?"

"So you will help?"

"Yes, ginger. I'll help," Cameron slightly deflated and sighed, more concerned with getting out of his restraints than fighting against Red Arrow. "What fifth-rate villain do I have to work for anyway?"

"Merlyn…"

* * *

AN: Thanks for all of the review/alerts/favorites. Please read (if you just cant get enough of Icicle Jr./Conner) "Ice" by **TheWickedWizardOfOz **or "Dating Catwoman" by **zotSOS**. If you're more the Artemis/Icicle Jr. type, see "Belle Reve talk" by **harrysgirl1993**.

Okay, I pretty much randomly choose a Green Arrow villain. If you have any suggestions (if you like this villain or can think of a way better or possibly sexier one), be my guest. Lol.


	3. Someone Could Break Your Neck

I don't know where to start. Finals, drama, and not watching a lot of the newer episodes have kept me from writing. Now it's summer; flowers once wilted and drowned out in the dead of fall have arisen again. Everything is fresh and I'm too busy making a loopy nature motif in this author's note :)

The great question before me was whether to update for the first time in months with a slash or het story, or whatever deranged genre "Illusion of Love" could be considered.

* * *

Chapter 3: Someone Could Break Your Neck

* * *

Merlyn possessed no metahuman powers; Cameron wouldn't have regarded him as important if not forced by the demonic, evil, or possibly possessed Red Arrow, who was like Chuckie gone the way of Robin Hood. Damn that redhead and his taunting...which had forced him to work with the not-at-all-creepy, totally-head-over-heels-obsessed-with-Green-Arrow villain. And people thought the Joker had problems...

Anyways, the ice-meta pushed back the gag-inducing thoughts of his tomato-haired tormentor and focused on his current employer: Merlyn. That name even made Icicle Jr. sound intimidating in comparison. Before meeting the archer, Cameron half-expected him to be an elderly man wielding a villianous walker...maybe it would be collapsible and shoot out arrows. Star City wasn't exactly known for any infamous or powerful heroes. Maybe the city was for retired villains like Merlyn so that they could hunt down young kids for skateboarding on their lawns. Or maybe Merlyn would have a wizard's beard to whip out (and at) heroes.

"Zoom," Cameron whispered, imagining a barrage of arrows shooting from the walker of doom. Luckily, Merlyn didn't hear him; it would have broken the professional, calm facade the teen had projected. When speaking with older villains back in Belle Reve, Cameron had to walk a thin line; he had to both downplay his intelligence to not challenge them but to also be mature enough to earn their respect. They couldn't speak to children, but they most certainly couldn't stand what was smarter and better than them.

Merlyn stood before him on the rooftop, gazing below into Star City stereotypically. It might as well have been dramatically raining to match the moody nighttime atmosphere. If Cameron was the leader of this operation, he would make the villains meet in a less typical and accessible place. Maybe a jacuzzi...perhaps that meeting would be bi-partisan and open to the most buff members of the Justice League.

Once again, the mercurial mind of Icicle Jr. shifted back to the situation before him. Merlyn had contacted Cupid and was awaiting her arrival. Yes, Cameron thought contacting her was ridiculous, stupid, and proved that Merlyn had grown senile after years of fighting (and perhaps loving) the Green Arrow. Cupid wasn't truly a villain; she was a deranged vigilante that the criminal underground in Star City had learned to avoid. The ones that had't been smart enough to avoid her had all died, killed to prove her love to Green Arrow: Big Game, Death Dealer, Vengeance, and Slingshot. Their names would never be remembered (they low-priority villains), but Cameron still felt pity towards them. Even inferior villains deserved more than to become the victims of Cupid.

But here they were; Cameron and Merlyn awaiting the vigilante who would kill them. It seemed almost masochistic on Merlyn's part; he couldn't have wanted to die, but even he had to have realized the instability of Cupid.

"What if she kills us...me?" Cameron asked, hesitantly. He could not bluntly deride Merlyn, but he could ask that question out of fear for his own life. It made the ice-meta seem young, but also vulnerable as if he was asking for protection. Merlyn's ego would devour a plea for help. Maybe some cute, pouty puppy dog eyes would work next time.

"I am not just another criminal scum in Star City."

"But she killed so many others. She could kill me." Cameron blinked quickly, faking an attempt at dry tears.

"I have a connection to her obsession," Merlyn spoke out of reassurance and not anger. "I beat him in a public archery contest...and he was not a sore loser. He looked up to me. Imagine, a child competing with his idol. Cupid can not kill me, because Green Arrow would not want me dead."

"I guess..." Cameron trailed, inwardly disbelieving Merlyn. She would kill him. Green Arrow had competed against Merlyn and lost; even if the archer hadn't later began a life of crime, that was reason enough to Cupid to merit his death.

Even when Merlyn had briefly mentioned working with Cupid to humiliate Green Arrow, Cameron had instantly notified Red Arrow despite that it made him feel like an eagerly obedient lap dog. Red Arrow didn't even give him Scooby snacks as a reward...

Red Arrow seemed pleased and hadn't even made fun of him that night...he had even let him speak to Conner. The ice-meta hadn't known that agreeing to help the Arrow family would have consumed so much of his time. Working under Merlyn had turned into a close and annoyingly time-consuming mentor/protege bond (balancing calling a possessive Conner and meeting up with the Arrows didn't help). Cameron started living with the elder villain shortly after joining him; Merlyn saw potential in training him beyond the typical goons he hired for grunt work.

Archery, which had once seemed like the deluded combat of a medieval-themed video game became cool to to ice-meta. Even if he would never use it again, archery had increased his accuracy of shooting ice shards. In some ways, despite his deception of the old man, Merlyn was a father figure to him both in physical training and emotional support. Flawed, obsessive, and illogical, but he never berated him like Icicle Sr. had.

Cameron hadn't just followed orders and reported on his boss's plan to team up with Cupid; he wanted to keep his crazy mentor alive.

But he would never admit that. Now, back to those thoughts of an arrow-shooting walker of doom...

* * *

"I'm glad you contacted me," Cupid smiled, so fakely that even Cameron's downplay of his own intelligence seemed realistic in comparison. Her makeup was badly blended; a pastiche of mismatched skin tones and eyeshadow. Pink, plastic, and obnoxious didn't inspire fear or even allure. Maybe it was Maybelline... "You certainly have a thrill for meeting locations."

Cameron winced at the slight drawl in her speech; she could honestly not start fake-flirting with Merlyn. Some things were wrong regardless of one's moral beliefs. It was as if Hermione Granger had put down her study books and started hitting on Dumbledore; Cameron needed be that someone to put a stop to this.

"Merlyn has spoken highly of you...despite dissenting opinions."

"I fear I have quite the illicit black book...of working with _other_ villains," Cupid enunciated, glaring at Icicle Jr. The cliche stare of a cheap, dollar-store vigilante couldn't melt the ice-meta; it was funny that she honestly believed she had power over him. She wasn't superior to Cameron and not even to Merlyn, a fellow non-meta.

Sometimes, Cameron wondered why he even cared to defend Merlyn. He needed to calm himself; Cupid was not truly hitting on his mentor. It's not like she would become something like a step-mom...Cameron cursed himself slightly, his memory being called to many a Lifetime movie.

"You must forgive my apprentice..."

"I do not blame you, Merlyn. I didn't expect an escaped convict to have manners. Anyways, I have to disagree about your suggested plan."

"What would you do?" Merlyn said inquisitively, not with the anger that Cameron had hoped for.

"Why should we rob a bank? You are not a lowly criminal."

"Perhaps..." Merlyn looked smugly away, inwardly swooning like a school girl over the vigilante's compliment. It really didn't take that much to inflate the man's ego.

"So I thought we could change it...a slight alteration of your plan."

"And?"

"How about this?" Cupid lunged forward, quickly drawing an arrow from her quiver and brandishing it like a dagger. Before Cameron could even freeze her, she slashed Merlyn's throat. It was crude and impulsive, befitting the deranged vigilante. "Green Arrow will love me if he sees you die."

Merlyn choked, shaking his hand at Icicle Jr. for help. The ice-meta focused, turning to blast Cupid with a ray of ice until she stood frozen next to the dying archer. Part of him wanted to just bash her frozen body apart; basking in the glimmer of shattered vigilante before helping his mentor.

Her head remained free from the ice, moving to stare at Cameron. "I didn't even need to notify him to show up soon..."

She couldn't have known...

Before Cameron could question her, Green and Red Arrow came bursting through the stairway exit, brandishing their bows.

* * *

AN: I need to ask this. If anyone is willing to beta this story, just PM me. For those who are looking for updates on my other stories, they shall come. More importantly, sorry for the long wait. Conner will appear next chapter (our two crazy kids need to kiss for such a long wait).

Looking back, did I just imply a possible Merlyn/Green Arrow? Thoughts I only jokingly make Cameron called him old). Anyways, I'm looking for feedback on this chapter/the story in general. This chapter is my attempt at getting back into Young Justice fanfiction (for better or worse lol).

Thankyou to those who reviewed this: I studied them all. Some of you have great suggestions (which might appear in a chapter or two from now...wink wink nudge nudge).


	4. Put Some Heat in My Heartache

Warnings: action-related violence, character death

* * *

Chapter 4: Put Some Heat in My Heartache

* * *

"Red, tend to Merlyn. I'll deal with Cupid."

Red Arrow's eyebrow rose, but he withheld any berating comment. Roy knew that he wasn't just acting 'rebellious' towards Green Arrow; the elder archer should have been the one to tend to his former idol. In addition, Cupid as a threat had been neutralized.

Despite his misgivings, Red Arrow didn't say anything, dutifully following Green Arrow's orders as he checked to see if Merlyn was even still alive. The police and medics would arrive shortly, but in the possibility that Merlyn died, Ollie should have been the one to stay by his side. Even Roy felt bad for the wounded, possibly dying archer, who had stopped gagging and only looked at him with tired, withdrawn eyes.

"He'll live…darn, can you forgive me, baby?" Cupid pouted as she stared at Green Arrow.

Cameron stared between the archers and Cupid, unsure of what to say. His lips trembled slightly; his mind zoned in on the psychotic murderess.

She couldn't have known before this fight that he was working for the Arrows; even his warped criminal mind clung to the belief in the Justice League's infallibility. The League's secrets were unknowable; their actions always protected by what some saw as divine justice. The League could never lose. They were good and glorious, which the thought of made Cameron feel naïve. He was…no longer a child mauling the TV for images of the League with his eyes.

Cameron inwardly cursed himself, blaming his obsession with Conner. Caring and protecting others made him uneasy; despite this, his childish dreams of superheroes, he had now come full-circle. He once again believed in the League, its cause, and its members…or maybe just a very muscled, domineering clone.

"Darling…" Cupid drawled, the majority of her body still encased in ice. Otherwise, she would have probably plunged herself into some casual exotic dancing upon seeing Green Arrow, before proceeding to kill them. "I was just teaching snowflake a lesson before he rudely froze me! Bad!" Cupid whined 'bad' like a '20s harlot, cooing in a babyish voice that tested the limits of Cameron's gag reflex.

"I could have killed her," Cameron stared at the Arrows, ignoring the vigilante.

"She needs to be taken, _alive_," Green Arrow chastised the ice-meta, but Cameron noticed that the elder archer's eyes didn't even look in his direction. Green Arrow's eyes were locked upon Cupid; studying, devouring, and relishing in her newly trapped state. The archer felt powerful, slightly ignoring the two teens to focus on Cupid.

"She killed your usual play-pals," Cameron quickly retorted, much to the amusement of Red Arrow. "You could just cry 'self-defense' to your JL buddies."

Cameron moved away from Green Arrow and Cupid, returning his attention to Merlyn. Both Red Arrow and Icicle Jr. crouched down by him, neither cared to watch Ollie probably unleash his most dangerous moves on the vigilante…the sloppy and gross French kiss.

"Are you done 'interrogating' her yet?" Red Arrow hollered at his former mentor. Merlyn, despite wounded, slightly smiled; his eyes regained the barest glint of life. "I don't think this is safe for the kids…Icicle, cover your ears!"

Cameron let out the smallest chuckle; his head still racing. The ice-meta outstretched his hand, clasping Merlyn's right hand a little too tightly. Cameron didn't want to see himself as a child, grasping Merlyn for dear life, but he couldn't help but be affected. He was no longer emotionally cold and refined. That didn't make him a sob-fest though; not even Conner could have turned him into an emotional mess.

Cameron's eyebrows were knitted in concern, but he looked over at Red Arrow briefly. The archer wasn't as annoying as he had been…he might be just as likely to smash his jaw again, but they felt like friends now. The ice-meta appreciated the archer's sense of humor, which probably saved him from becoming angrier and killing the vigilante.

"I don't want to look behind me," Cameron whispered, turning his head towards Red Arrow. "But is Ollie getting to first base, yet?"

Red Arrow just glared, before grinning back. "He just has a weakness…like all superheroes do. Superman has Kryptonite, Green Arrow has women in fishnets."

"Hello, Green Arrow, are you going to just keep staring at her back there or actually say something?" Cameron tilted his head back, studying the relatively calm archer have a glare-match with the flirty vigilante.

Cameron needed to keep calm; humor lessened the clenching of his free hand into a fist. The ice-meta didn't know if that fist was meant for Green Arrow or Cupid. Sure, she was a killer; but the archer enabled her. It's not like Green Arrow could pull the morally superior card and claim that he was above morally wrong acts like killing…Red Arrow loved telling Cameron of his former mentor's debauched, wealthy lifestyle.

Green Arrow might not be a murderer, but in a business of exploiting the poor to fuel his own wealth and status, the man was probably even more morally lax than Icicle Jr., former criminal. If Green Arrow would not kill Cupid, he could have easily hired someone to do it. Unless the archer had purposely allowed for Cupid to kill...that would allow low-level villains to be permanently eliminated while Green Arrow got to play the hero and 'save the day.'

Maybe Cameron was just over-analyzing this. Green Arrow was his ticket out of crime. As long as Merlyn lived, the ice-meta should be happy to finally be with Conner. He shouldn't question the Ollie's motives.

"_Focus on Conner…focus on Conner…" _Cameron mentally repeated to himself, ignoring his doubts of authority.

Finally, after what seemed like a weeklong staring match, Green Arrow spoke. "I don't love you."

"_Really? That's it? No, 'you're a bad, evil killer, lady, and I'm gonna lock you up?'" _

Cameron kept staring into Merlyn's eyes, fearfully awaiting any sign that the elder archer would slip away. He shouldn't have paid attention to Green Arrow now, but Cameron was prickly. He wouldn't start being happy-go-lucky and nice like Conner's team.

"What? You just wanna..." Cupid trailed off, suggestively.

"No," Green Arrow broke her off, somewhat shakily.

"Fine! I knew that snow-cone freak has been working for you!" Cupid, no longer caring to play things sweet, turned into a more angry, but unsurprisingly still seductive tone. Her voice spoke of a challenge: even in defeat, she wanted Green Arrow to want her.

"How did you know that?" Red and Green Arrow spoke in unison, agreeing on something for perhaps the first time in months. Cameron blankly stared at them, inwardly laughing at how similar the two were in personality...despite the different outlook and experiences that made them distinct heroes.

"I didn't involve...any lesser thugs."

Cameron, tired of the conversation between the two, interrupted, "She's been spying on us. Big surprise." The ice-meta didn't know if he was right, but he hoped that she was merely a stalker. If he could make himself believe that, his paranoia of villains coming after him...mainly his father...would be lessened. He couldn't allow himself to believe that others had helped her.

"You didn't even cheat on me. Not even with _her_."

Cupid spoke mater-of-factly, both admitting to Cameron's comment and treating Dinah like some low-class, villainous harpy. The vigilante's warped view casted Dinah as her ultimate rival, whose name didn't even deserve to be spoken. Cupid's tone had once again calmed, no longer playfully combative.

_"Maybe she just doesn't like another woman in fishnets."_

"How long have you been spying on us?" Green Arrow spoke in a low, drowning voice. It was something Cupid could just get lost in; the male archer didn't even need to torture her for information.

"Since you saved me, hero." She batted her eyelashes, sightly perking her lips.

In some warped fanfiction, Green Arrow could have planted a kiss on her; choosing Cupid over Black Canary. Cupid had loved the archer, more brutally and obsessively to the point that it was poetic. Years earlier, Green Arrow had mistakenly killed her husband Ross, believing that he had been abusing her. In reality, she had tried to kill her husband, just as she killed a line of villains for her Green Arrow.

The streets of Star had become a temple, bathed in the blood and bullets of human sacrifices for the green archer. Cupid was the priestess, eagerly awaiting even the barest wink or nod from her god. Nothing would prevent her from killing and offering him more villains...not even jail. Jail would just become a multi-layer cake: layers of after cell-blocks to kill and present to Green Arrow.

But this wasn't a romance; instead of freeing Cupid or even grazing her lips in the kiss he could have long craved, Green Arrow drew his bow and aimed it at her head.

Long ago, Cupid had taken the broken tip of one of his arrows and carved a now infamous heart with an arrow through her chest. Through the ice and because of her revealing clothing, the heart still shown through like a glaring signal to Green Arrow.

Before Cameron or Roy could stop him, Ollie shot his arrow at the vigilante. In one fleeting moment, she had received not a kiss, but what she probably saw as the ultimate expression of Green Arrow's love. He had shot her; he had claimed her.

He had loved her.

"Red, Icicle," Oliver turned to the teens, "Pick up Merlyn. We're leaving."

Neither teen said anything for the rest of the night, the image of a smiling Cupid stuck on repeat in their minds. Not even the permanence of her self-carved scar could rival the effect of this moment cutting itself into their memories.

* * *

Conner had arrived the day after to meet Cameron, sensing how emotionally distraught his boyfriend was. The reformed ice-criminal was temporarily living with Green and Red Arrow at the Queen Estate mansion, but had been shocked into an uncharacteristic silence. Even Roy had grown silent; avoiding both Cameron and Ollie to train at the mansion's archery range.

The Queen family mansion was gaudy, grand, and...grotesque. Cameron hadn't grown up surrounded by signs of obvious wealth; him and his father were too often living on the lamb or in jail. Like Belle Reve, the walls of the mansion looked off-puttingly sterile, but carried a dark, almost corrupted air. Cameron really needed to stop projecting his thoughts onto inanimate objects.

When Superboy had shown up, Icicle Jr. quickly pulled him into the guest bedroom he had slept in, pushing him against the wall as he made sure the door was closed.

Cameron was too stressed to say anything; sheer consumption of his Kryptonian temporarily sated his feelings. Conner simply tasted...alive. Although Cameron had started a chaste kiss, he soon gave up and slipped his tongue across the Conner's bottom lip. Before he could prod Conner's lips open, the clone gripped him.

"I thought I was the top."

Conner, who was way too confident to be cute, gently pressed his lips against Conner's cheek, placing a trail of lingering, chaste kisses, before stopping and starring at Cameron, denying him one, final climatic kiss on the mouth. Their eyes were locked, only a couple inches apart. Something about the natural, slightly lost and unsure look on Cameron's face would always appeal to Conner; it somehow innocently and seductively pleaded for another kiss, as if to rival the women painted into immortality by Vermeer. Cameron's lips parted slightly, in a male rendition of the _Girl with a Pearl Earring_.

"What happened?"

Cameron slowly inhaled, without squirming out of Conner' grip. If anything, Conner's possessiveness was reassuring. Even if the ice-meta was flawed and might never completely reveal himself truthfully to the clone, he could tell him about Green Arrow and Merlyn. Conner deserved that at least.

* * *

AN: This chapter quickly came out (I felt bad since I had neglected this fic for months. I felt like such a tease - for the longest time, only two chapters were posted). Anyways, next chapter will explain more of Merlyn (but not that much) and have the Arrows meet with the League/force them to accept Cameron on the team (and more kissing).

I'm not trying to make Green Arrow into a villain. I'm trying to make Green Arrow more morally-grey (to be more like Roy and Cameron). So, who is fine that Green Arrow killed an obsessive vigilante?

There is a sad lack of Conner/Cameron fics. Anyways, thankyou to **TheWickedWizardOfOz**, who suggested a name for this couple. From this day forth (dramatic drum roll), Conner/Cameron will be called **KryptonIce**.


	5. Leeching On

A lovely thank you to **TheWickedWizardOfOz**, who betaed for this chapter. Some of my mistakes alternated between atrocious crimes against grammar or were just a little silly (misuse of gender-pronouns). I would recommend reading any of his fics, especially "**Doctor Fake**."

I also tried continuing the art history motif of this story by mentioning _Laocoön and his sons. _

* * *

Chapter 5: Leeching On

* * *

"Can you tell me?" Superboy had maneuvered Cameron onto his bed, letting the ice-meta tenderly rest his head against the clone's recycling form.

Cameron lifted his head, begrudgingly withdrawing himself from the warmth of his boyfriend's body. The ice-meta had never felt more unsure, almost to the point that he felt like Conner should call him out for acting like a tween girl. At least Cameron hadn't broken out into hysterical crying and squealing.

The ice-meta lowered his voice, momentarily making himself feel more masculine. "I'm not sure I'm allowed."

"Can you try?" the clone nudged his elbow against Cameron's side.

If he was going to tell Conner, he didn't want to seem weak. He couldn't cry, nor could his voice keep trembling. Cameron's life had been dictated ever since escaping Belle Rêve by either adhering to Green Arrow's or Merlyn's rules. He couldn't let his emotions control him, so he focused on calming down, basking in the feeling of trying to hide his insecurity.

"Green Arrow killed Cupid."

Conner reached his right hand out, gripping Cameron's shoulder. The former-criminal's eyes darted to the hand. He had never truly noticed how perfect Conner was: his skin was unblemished and pristine, like it had been sculpted from Roman white marble. By contrast, Cameron felt like a preschool ice sculpture.

"I understand why you're so upset," Conner spoke softly, without being condescending. Despite Superboy's reassuring tone, Cameron still felt like a boy at times in comparison. Superboy and Icicle Jr., both in personality and looks offered two different perspectives of masculinity. Cameron was more slender, and had slightly androgynous features whereas Conner seemed to have been written to embody stereotypical masculinity. It made the ice-meta unsure if their relationship could last at times.

Cameron looked like the small sons of Laocoön, whereas Conner embodied their father in all his muscular glory. Just like the Roman statue of _Laocoön and his sons_, Cameron felt like he was slowly being strangled by a sea serpent...in the form of his emotional insecurities.

"I shouldn't be."

"You have a right to be."

"I...I don't know what to do."

Cameron, finally breaking to the crux of this situation, looked away from the clone. Superboy's eyes felt piercing, like they were cast in silent judgement. Sometimes, he just couldn't help but expect Conner to deride him, even if the clone had done nothing but the opposite.

How could a perfect man find compassion for a weak, emotionally-unstable ex-criminal?

"Green Arrow won't be punished," the clone sighed.

"I don't want him to. I agreed with him...I guess. I don't know. I let her get killed."

"You didn't do anything."

Cameron could have yelled, but once again, he forced his voice to become lower can calmer. "Exactly. I could have released the ice encasing her."

"Then she would have killed you." Conner's voice rose, but not enough that anyone else in the mansion could hear.

"She loved him."

"She killed in his name."

"How else could a criminal show a hero that he loved him?" Cameron's eyes rushed back to meet Conner's, challenging him for an answer, despite not truly thinking what he had just said. Although he had meant to say 'she' and refer to Cupid, his mouth had ran wild; instead, he referred to himself. He wasn't truly wondering about Cupid, but his own criminal past. He could see himself in the dead archer. Maybe if his love for Conner would cause him to kill.

"He? Not _she_?" Conner caught the word choice, realizing that what Cameron was worried about. Although Icicle Jr. could see himself becoming like Cupid, it didn't worry the clone. His ice-meta has accepted his offer to change, whereas a criminal like Cupid would never have done the same, even if Green Arrow had asked her.

"Um..."

"You're not a killer. You're nothing like Cupid...or Green Arrow."

"I feel like it sometimes. It's not just that I could have stopped her. I am a criminal, Conner. My dad has killed."

"Your dad, and not you, has," Conner's grip on the ice-meta's shoulder tightened, causing an annoying yet slight pain.

"What if I slip? I'm not like you!" Cameron's voice finally broke.

"I see the good in you."

"Is that all you see me? Am I some do-gooder change-the-criminal project?"

Conner's eyes widened, unleashing his grip on his boyfriend. Conversation wasn't working right now; a physical testament of his feelings might be better. Slowly, Conner cupped Cameron's chin, drawing him into a chaste kiss.

"I love you."

"I...I will try too. I don't know if I can change."

Not wanting to become an even worse emotional train-wreck, Conner rested his head against Superboy's neck, returning to the heat of the clone's embrace. He was obsessed with the clone...no, he was enthralled by the god-like being before him. Cameron was upset over Cupid's death, because he could sympathize with her. Already, he could feel his growing love with Conner teeter into a deathly obsession.

He couldn't become Cupid; Cameron stilled feared returning to his criminal past and possibly harming Conner. As he had just learned, nursing an obsession for a hero could lead to death...

Despite his efforts, staying with Conner might just kill him.

* * *

Merlyn had quite coldly been dumped into police custody, after slowly recovering in the hospital. When Roy had seen the ambulance take the villain away, he felt a pang of pity. Icicle Jr. was too shocked to do anything right now, let alone handle watching Merlyn being hauled away.

Roy had always doubted his mentor's judgement, but it had always been in playful banter. Red Arrow had 'rebelled' by not joining the sidekick daycare-squad, but he always kept a rapport with his mentor. It was what allowed the red-head to even suggest using the ice-criminal as a spy; his mentor wouldn't have approved such a half-baked plan if he didn't still feel that Roy respected him.

But that respect was now shaky at best. Roy would never quite trust the League, but he didn't want to reject his former mentor too. Despite their strained relationship and his own doubts, Roy needed some support. It was all he had; the only father who had loved and raised him. He might not truly agree with Ollie, but he must learn to accept.

* * *

In a burst of bright light, Green Arrow was transported via zeta beam to the Watchtower.

Ollie should have been alarmed; Batman had requested that they meet in one of the station's interrogation rooms. The dark knight wouldn't resort to anything like torture; instead, Batman would probably only growl, sneer, and throw a hissy fit about Cupid's death. There had been a time when Batman had intimidated him, but Ollie was no longer that naïve and young. The League members were all equals despite the dark night's power-play at becoming leader.

Green Arrow smirked, relishing in the slight superiority he felt over his fellow League hero. All the Batman wanted was control, control, control, and sordid affairs with female villains. By contrast, Ollie had rejected the villain interested in him; Cupid was gone and wouldn't ever stalk him again...unless by some weird witch-boy magic she was resurrected.

The archer passed his fellow heroes, only giving slight nods. He wondered if they had already discovered that Cupid had died, as if Ollie's actions were a kink in the supposedly pure image of the League. Green Arrow scoffed, thinking back to Batman. In contrast to the bat, Ollie had eliminated a threat whereas Gotham's savior let his criminals live. Green Arrow wondered if Batman wanted them to live, so that the dark knight could always fight and capture them in a psychotic, thrill-seeking way. The bat liked playing with the criminals, who were like tiny, squabbling insects for him to crush. Batman's actions earned the hero-worship of Gotham, despite that the Joker was still alive, still killing, and was one of many villains left alive.

Ollie felt a slight unease thinking that, but by justifying his own actions, he felt assured. He had created a good, but slightly grey path to justice. Perhaps other criminals could be dealt with the same way as Cupid...Ollie would just need to use former-criminals like Icicle Jr. to do the dirty work next time. Otherwise, Oliver could be blamed and punished by the League.

He wondered how many criminals could go missing before the League crashed down on him; they surely wouldn't now despite Roy and Cameron's testimony that he had caused Cupid's death. _Allegedly _caused her death was the correct phrase...Oliver would claim self-defense.

If Oliver hadn't done anything, the two teens would have died. Even Ollie's troubled conscious could admit that was true.

The archer finally reached the interrogation room, whose door was already open. Batman stood a few inches away, glaring at Green Arrow in his trademark scowl. Ollie's matching stern expression slightly melted into a smirk, but Batman looked like he wanted to growl.

"You have gone against the League's rules." Batman didn't yell, but instead used a low, commanding monotone. A younger Ollie would have been scared or at the very least, uneased.

"Icicle Jr. has coordinated with the League regardless. Let's not start yelling, Bruce." Ollie spat the hero's name, but continued smirking. He just couldn't take the Batman seriously anymore. They were two men, but in both moral outlook and physical appearance, they offered two different perspectives on justice. Batman dressed in black to match the violence of Gotham, yet he operated on a more happy-go-lucky sunshine-heroism.

Once again, Oliver snickered, picturing Batman fighting heroes by bashing them with daisies and rainbows. Sunshine-heroism...On the other hand, Oliver wore bright, clothing yet was capable of killing, let alone his personal life of hedonistic debauchery.

"You have-"

"I eliminated a criminal. The League has to have covered that up. Can't have our reputations blemished..."

"You will be reprimanded," Batman quickly responded, as if vying in a vocal tug-of-war with Green Arrow.

"Oh no...I'll get a timeout from League missions. Put me in the naughty corner."

Batman's glare broke, slightly unsure of how to break through to Oliver Queen. Few of his fellow League members had ever challenged him, and certainly not to this extent.

"I want the ice-meta gone from my home within the week. Whether he joins your gang of stray puppies or shacks up with the clone isn't my concern. Goodbye." With that, Green Arrow left, without even having to enter the interrogation room. No one had been around to hear, and if someone honestly watched the conversation on the watchtower's cameras, he didn't care.

His former protégé had been right; the League only condescended him and forced him to conform. Independence, although morally-grey, had opened up to Green Arrow. The archer wouldn't go back.

* * *

"I tried my best. It is up to Batman if you join the team."

Cameron sighed, sitting across from Ollie and next to Conner at the dining room table. It was still to early [too] eat, and Ollie still felt too high on new found independence to be hungry.

"Thank you for trying," Cameron looked into Ollie's eyes, genuinely thanking the archer.

"It's not safe to stay here though...if Cupid knew you were working for me, I'm sure others are also spying." Green Arrow reveled in just how concerned he made himself sound.

"Then where will he stay?" Conner worriedly asked.

"You or Dinah must find a place. You can stay here until Batman decides. I'm sorry...blame him. He doesn't believe you can change."

Ollie looked between the two, gauging how comfortable they were with him mentioning the dark knight in a negative light. Cameron seemed to accept that Batman might not help him, but Conner surprisingly nodded his head in agreement.

The two teens might just be manipulated into supporting Ollie. He wouldn't be alone in eliminating villains and not in some sloppy, Red Hood-esque way. That former Robin was just too angsty and full of daddy issues to take seriously, despite similar methods.

Cupid would become the first of many victims...and Oliver would no longer be an equal among many heros, but a leader. A conquerer...

* * *

I'm just going to thank **TheWickedWizardOfOz** again.

Anyways, as **gege qurban** brought up in a review, other pairings in this fic haven't been decided. I'm open for suggestions :)


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